Agents of SHIELD: LMDs Overrun SHIELD in ‘Self Control’ Synopsis

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continued last night and in an explosive episode, Jeffrey Mace was captured by The Superior, a new Inhuman was born and the sinister Dr. Holden Radcliffe introduced his ex-girlfriend to the best virtual reality experience around. It was revealed that as part of the villain’s master plan, he had constructed a Matrix-esque world called The Framework which Radcliffe stated – obviously unaware how much he was living up to the evil scientist stereotype – could cure death and suffering itself.

Interestingly, it also transpired that Radcliffe’s LMD sidekick AIDA was in fact based on a real figure from the Doctor’s past – one that he’d had romantic involvement with. Although the original AIDA – real name Agnes – first sided with S.H.I.E.L.D. in an attempt to lure Radcliffe out of hiding and save Agent May, she was soon seduced by her ex-lover’s ideas and this led to a few more hints being dropped that LMDs might be more human that their creator could imagine.

With only two more episodes in the arc to go, ABC have now released a full synopsis of season four’s fifteenth offering, ‘Self Control’. The synopsis reads:

S.H.I.E.L.D. IS OVERRUN BY LMDs, AND THERE IS NO ONE TO TRUST, ON ABC’S ‘MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.’

“Self Control” – Suspicion turns to paranoia when the team doesn’t know who can be trusted as more LMDs infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network.

As things stand at the end of ‘BOOM‘, AIDA is the only functioning LMD accounted for on screen and if a full scale android invasion is on the horizon, there is some serious work to do in next week’s episode ‘The Man Behind The Shield’. Although the title implies a focus on The Patriot, it seems likely the presence of more LMDs will be confirmed in order to get things ready for the finale. This suspicion was furthered during a scene in this week’s episode which demonstrated an LMD detector being installed in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base – something that is sure to become useful very soon.

Whether the LMD invasion will take place from the outside with a large robotic army knocking on the door or from within – revealing Radcliffe had replaced more agents that just Melinda May during his tenure at S.H.I.E.L.D. – remains to be seen but the recent reveal of The Framework is likely to come into play. Radcliffe is seemingly on a mission to create eternal life for all and with an android army at his disposal, could LMD kind be itching to upload their human counterparts to The Framework and take the real world for themselves?

With that said, it’s also possible that by the time ‘Self Control’ rolls around, Dr. Radcliffe will no longer have the same level of control over the LMDs that he currently enjoys. Several hints have been dropped this season – most recently AIDA taking Agnes’ necklace – that the androids are more human than they seem and the arc seems to be building towards the LMDs becoming fully sentient and independent and out of the two possible scenarios, the latter is certainly more threatening.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues February 14th with ‘The Man Behind The Shield’ on ABC.